About me

Dr Drew Evans is an Associate Professor of Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (Future Industries Institute) at the University of South Australia, with expertise in thin film coatings for commercial applications. Currently he also holds a Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council ("Revolution through evolution - new conducting polymer materials"). In 2006 he received his PhD in interfacial science from the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. During this time he worked under the Cooperative Research Centre for Functional Communication Surfaces, working with some of the leading international paper making companies.

About me

Dr Drew Evans is an Associate Professor of Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (Future Industries Institute) at the University of South Australia, with expertise in thin film coatings for commercial applications. Currently he also holds a Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council ("Revolution through evolution - new conducting polymer materials"). In 2006 he received his PhD in interfacial science from the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. During this time he worked under the Cooperative Research Centre for Functional Communication Surfaces, working with some of the leading international paper making companies.

Upon completion of his PhD, Drew spent 4 years as a scientist with the Research Laboratories of Australia. In this role, he was involved with the development and commercialisation of a new liquid toner printing technology. His role within this development included developing and commissioning a pilot production facility, leading fundamental R and D projects in materials and colloidal science to overcome technology road-blocks, and value-adding to existing client projects. Based in Adelaide, Australia, he was an integral part of the small R and D team developing a world leading technology in collaboration with the leading digital printing companies in Europe, Asia and America.

In late 2010 he joined the Mawson Institute at the University of South Australia as a senior researcher under another Cooperative Research Centre project, the AutoCRC. This project has seen the development of a light-weight shatter-proof plastic mirror for replacement of conventional glass mirrors, in partnership with a leading international automotive OEM supplier, SMR-Technologies. In parallel, he has worked within the thin film coating group to develop thin films of the inherently conducting polymer, PEDOT. Ath the time, these films have the highest reported conductivity of an air-stable conducting polymer to-date, with values rivaling those of the conducting metal oxides (eg ITO).

In 2014, Drew was part of a core team that facilitated the establishment of a new South Australian company, Heliostat-SA. This company brings together UniSA with 3 private industry partners to form a consortium to deliver Concentrated Solar Power solutions to the global energy marketplace.

To date Drew has secured over $11M in research funding, for both fundamental and applied studies in the materials science field. He has supervised over 40 international intern students from leading universities (ETH, Bath, Aachen, etc), 3 Phd students to completion, and is currently involved in supervising 7 full time PhD students.

As a result of his research achievements, he was awarded the 2013 SA Tall Poppy of the Year prize. Following on from this, he is now an active member of the South Australian Science Council upon invitation from SA's Chief Scientist. In 2016 Drew was the recepient of the BioSA Young Achiever Award for his contribution to industry in South Australia. Also, Drew is a member of the Early- and Mid-Career Research Forum Executive under the Australian Academy of Science. Drew’s experience and expertise demonstrates his passion for conducting cutting edge science for the development of high-tech products and advanced materials. This passion includes educating the greater community on aspects of materials science through several UniSA supported teaching initiatives.